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A cafe in the Otago Polytechnic Student Hub is aiming to reduce its carbon footprint by getting rid of paper takeaway cups.

Polytechnic functions and catering executive chef Mark Lane said while looking for sustainable options, he and his Eden Cafe staff realised Dunedin did not have the capacity to deal with recycling paper cups.

"Most go to the landfill,'' Mr Lane said."We started thinking why we need these cups at all.''

One of Mr Lane's colleagues collected survey responses on the drinking habits of customers in the area.